Training device for proper batting stance

ABSTRACT

A training device for aiding a pitched ball player to find the proper batting stance. The training device includes a mat which includes a grid that corresponds a user&#39;s height to a foot position on the grid. The training device also includes a user&#39;s guide, a chart with a batter&#39;s heights and a plurality of indicia markings corresponding to those heights and instructions for foot placement. The device also includes stakes to stake the mat to the ground and a carrying tube for transporting the mat.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is related to and claims priority from priorprovisional application Ser. No. 62/541,551, filed Aug. 4, 2017 whichapplication is incorporated herein by reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understandingthe present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of theinformation provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presentlydescribed or claimed inventions, or that any publication or documentthat is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of athletictraining devices and more specifically relates to a training device forfinding a proper batting stance.

2. Description of the Related Art

Prior art devices generally relate to baseball training mats to helpwith achieving a particular batting stance. Some of these mats are notflexible. Some of the mats are heavy and cumbersome. Some of the matsare not suited as teaching aids for all ages. None of these mats appearto take into account the height of the user in connection with theplacement of the feet.

Various attempts have been made to solve the need for a mat with indiciaor grooves thereon to help a batter with their stance. None of the aboveinventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seento describe the invention as claimed.

Ideally, a batting stance teaching aid should provide clear instructionsand an easy to carry lightweight mat to facilitate teaching the properbatting stance and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at amodest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable batting stance andinstruction system to avoid the above-mentioned problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known sporttraining art, the present invention provides a novel training device forproper batting stance. The general purpose of the present invention,which will be described subsequently in greater detail is to provide abatting stance mat and instructions for helping a ball player learn theproper batting stance.

The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as atraining device for proper batting stance for a pitched ball. Forpurposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, andnovel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to beunderstood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved inaccordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus,the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achievesor optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught hereinwithout necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught orsuggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to benovel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in theconcluding portion of the specification. These and other features,aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become betterunderstood with reference to the following drawings and detaileddescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures which accompany the written portion of this specificationillustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, atraining device for proper batting stance, constructed and operativeaccording to the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view illustrating an unrolled mat of thetraining device for proper batting stance according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a detail view showing a stakealigned with one of the eyelets according to an embodiment of thepresent invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the diagram/instructions forproper foot placement according to an embodiment of the presentinvention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the rolled-up mat according toan embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the mat deployed on a baseballfield according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the mat with an indiciamarking in the shape of home plate, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the mat rolled up with thestrap through the eyelets according to an embodiment of the presentinvention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the rolled-up mat, theelongated carrying tube, and the user guide all together, according toan embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9A is a perspective view illustrating the strap according to anembodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1

FIG. 9B is a perspective view illustrating the strap according toanother embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1

FIG. 9C is a perspective view illustrating the strap according toanother embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1

FIG. 9D is a perspective view illustrating the strap according toanother embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the user guide andinstructions according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG.1.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the chart according to anembodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter bedescribed in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein likedesignations denote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to anathletic training device and more particularly to a training device asused to improve the proper batting stance of a ball player.

When batting in baseball, foot positioning is very important as thestrike box is in a fixed position. The foot position of the battergreatly effects where the player's swing will meet the strike zone.Thus, it is important for players to learn and practice the properstance.

The training mat includes a grid that corresponds a user's height to afoot position on the grid. Additional instructions are provided forenhancing the batting stance once the ideal foot placement has beendetermined. Proper foot positioning ensures optimal power and contactfor kids learning to hit a baseball.

The training mat is light-weight, durable and portable. In oneembodiment, the training mat is a thin, rubber, durable mat that isapproximately 2′ wide, and 4-5′ long. The training mat includes footposition indicators, that instruct a user where to place their feet; thefoot position indicators signifying a back-foot position and afront-foot position. In some embodiments, the foot position indicatorswill be marked on the training mat semi-permanently.

The training mat will have a grid system with numbered coordinates. Morespecifically, the back-foot position is indicated on the mat as a footoutline and the front-foot position is indicated using marked lines on agrid. The player uses the guide printed on the mat to find their heightand the corresponding letter code and grid line for their lead footposition. The user's back foot will remain stationary, while the user'sfront foot would move based on their height.

The training mat further includes eyelets that are positioned in thecorners of the training mat so that the present invention can be stakeddown. The use of eyelets provides a very cheap and easy means forinstalling the present invention on a baseball field. The training matalso includes a tee marker. The tee marker provides indications of whenthe tee should be located, based on the batter's stance.

The mat is to be made from a durable and flexible material, allowing itto be rolled up when not in use and held together with a strap(s) andattachment method such as a button, clasp or Velcro. In one embodiment,the present invention is configured with a Velcro-belt (riveted to thetraining mat), wherein the Velcro-belt can be secured shut to keep thetraining mat rolled together. In another embodiment, the presentinvention includes a tube with a carrying strap, wherein the trainingmat is rolled up and positioned into the tube for storage and transport.

The present invention also includes a diagram, or instructions, to helpplot height to foot placement ratio. The stance position changes basedon who's at bat and so the instructions are going to have to be detailedas to how to pick the correct stance. The grid system for the front-footposition will have height markings, where the user finds their markingassociated with their height on the training mat and puts their footinto that position on the grid.

In one embodiment, the instructions are printed directly onto thetraining mat. In another embodiment, the instructions are printed on aseparate sheet, while corresponding symbols are printed on the trainingmat for reference. In other embodiments, electronic instructions can beprovided.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference there is shown inFIGS. 1-10, a training device 1 (FIG. 8) for hitting a pitched ball suchas a baseball, tee ball or softball. The training device 1 includes anelongated mat 2 (FIG. 1) having a proximal end 3 which has a proximalarea 4. The proximal area 4 is located adjacent the proximal end 3. Theelongated mat 2 also has a distal end 5 and a distal area 6. The distalarea 6 is located adjacent the distal end 5. The elongated mat furtherhas a top surface 7 and a bottom surface 8 and two parallel and opposedside edges 9 (FIG. 2) spaced from one another and having a length L. Thelength L is between the proximal end 3 and the distal end 5 (FIG. 1).The mat 2 is between 4 to 5 feet long and 2 feet wide.

The mat 2 includes a plurality of indicia markings 11 (FIG. 2) and whichalso include at least one back foot indicia marking 11 a in the shape ofa foot located within the proximal area 4 and wherein the plurality ofindicia markings 11 are located upon the top surface 7 and spaced alongthe length L thereof. The plurality of indicia markings 11 aresuccessively formed representing successive letters of the Englishalphabet, A, B, C and so on. Alternately the plurality of indiciamarkings 11 can be formed representing different symbols (not shown) asmay be useful to a particular teacher or student or language.

The plurality of indicia markings 11 are formed from a material that isadapted to remain semi-permanently upon the top surface 7 of the mat 2such that they may be removed and added upon different positions uponthe top surface 7.

In one embodiment, there are two back foot indicia markings 11 a in theshape of a foot (FIG. 6) wherein a first of said two spaced back footindicia markings 11 a is adapted to be used by a batter batting righty,such that the batter's right foot is placed upon the first of said twospaced back foot indicia markings 11 a; and wherein a second of said twospaced back foot indicia markings 11 a is adapted to be used by a batterbatting lefty, such that the batter's left foot is placed upon saidsecond of said two spaced back foot indicia markings 11 a.

The plurality of indicia markings 11 includes at least one indiciamarking in the shape of a home plate 11 b within the proximal area 4 inproximity to said at least one back foot indicia marking 11 a andpreferably in between two back foot indicia markings 11 a.

The mat 2 further includes a plurality of eyelets 12 wherein at leastone of the plurality of eyelets 12 is located on the proximal area 4 andat least one of the plurality of eyelets 12 is located on the distalarea 6. The plurality of eyelets 12 are adapted to allow the elongatedmat 2 to be releasably attached to a supporting surface such as abaseball field 21 (FIG. 5).

A plurality of stakes 14 (FIG. 2) are adapted to be respectively placedthrough the plurality of the eyelets 12 of the elongated mat 2 and toengage with the supporting surface such as a baseball field 21 in orderto releasably retain the elongated mat 2 to the supporting surface.

A strap 15 (FIG. 4), which includes a distal end portion 15 a and aproximal end portion 15 b, is attached to the bottom surface 8 of themat 2. The mat 2 is formed of a flexible material such as rubber suchthat it is adapted to be rolled up for storage and transportationpurposes. The strap 15 is adapted such that when the mat 2 is rolled up,the strap is wrapped around the mat 2 such that the distal end portion15 a and the proximal end portion 15 b can releasably engage one anotherto hold the mat 2 in a rolled-up configuration.

The distal end portion 15 a of the strap 15 can include one of a hookand loop material 16 and wherein the proximal end portion 15 b of thestrap 15 includes the other of a hook and loop material 16 such that thedistal end portion 15 a and the proximal end portion 15 b of the strap15 can releasably engage one another to releasably hold the mat 2 in arolled-up configuration (FIG. 9A).

In another embodiment, the distal end portion 15 a of the strap 15includes one of a snap head 17 a and a snap receiver 17 b, wherein theproximal end portion 15 b of the strap 15 includes the other of the snaphead 17 a and snap receiver 17 b, such that the distal end portion 15 aof the strap 15 and the proximal end portion 15 b of the strap 15 canreleasably engage one another to releasably hold the mat 2 in arolled-up configuration (9D).

In yet another embodiment, the distal end portion 15 a of the strap 15includes one of a button 18 a and a button hole 18 b, wherein theproximal end portion 15 b of the strap 15 includes the other of thebutton 18 a and a button hole 18 b, such that the distal end portion 15a of the strap 15 and the proximal end portion 15 b of the strap 15 canreleasably engage one another to releasably hold the mat 2 in arolled-up configuration (9C).

In still another embodiment, the distal end portion 15 a of the strap 15includes one of a clasp receiver 19 b and a clasp 19 a, wherein theproximal end portion 15 b of the strap 15 includes the other of theclasp receiver 19 b and a clasp 19 a, such that the distal end portion15 a of the strap 15 and the proximal end portion 15 b of the strap 15can releasably engage one another to releasably hold the mat 2 in arolled-up configuration (9B).

The training device 1 further includes an elongated tube 20 which canhave a tube cap 20 b for storing and carrying the elongated mat 2, userguide 13 and stakes 14 therein. The elongated tube 20 also includes acarrying strap 20 a attached to the outer surface thereof (FIG. 8).

The training device 1 further includes a user guide 13 which includes achart 13 a which can be either on the mat 2 or on a separate piece ofpaper (FIG. 10). The chart 13 a (FIG. 11) includes a plurality ofbatter's heights ih within a batter's height column h and a plurality ofindicia markings fpi within an indicia markings column fp. Each of thebatter's heights ih correlates to a specific one of the indicia markingsfpi within the indicia markings column fp and each of the indiciamarkings fpi within the indicia markings fp column correlate to aspecific one of the plurality of indicia markings 11 on the elongatedmat 2.

The training device 1 further includes instructions 13 b includingplacing a batter's back foot upon one of the at least one back footindicia markings 11 a and determining an indicia marking 11 upon theelongated mat 2 for the batter's front foot to be placed during thebatter's swinging motion.

Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, underappropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference,user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements,available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of usearrangements such as, for example, different orders withinabove-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps,including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may besufficient.

The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary andnumerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readilyenvisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which areintended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention.Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A training device for hitting a pitched ball,comprising: an elongated mat including: a proximal end; a proximal area;wherein said proximal area is located adjacent said proximal end; adistal end; a distal area; wherein said distal area is located adjacentsaid distal end; a top surface; a bottom surface; two side edges;wherein said two side edges are spaced from one another and extendparallel between said proximal and said distal ends; a length; whereinsaid length is between said proximal end and said distal end; aplurality of indicia markings including: at least one back foot indiciamarking located within said proximal area; wherein said plurality ofindicia markings are located upon said top surface and are spaced alongsaid length thereof; a plurality of eyelets; wherein at least one ofsaid plurality of eyelets is located on said proximal area; and whereinat least one of said plurality of eyelets is located on said distalarea; and wherein said plurality of eyelets are adapted to allow saidelongated mat to be releasably attached to a supporting surface; a userguide including: a chart including: a plurality of batter's heightswithin a batter's height column; and a plurality of indicia markingswithin an indicia markings column; wherein each of said batter's heightscorrelates to a specific one of said indicia markings within saidindicia markings column; and wherein each of said indicia markingswithin said indicia markings column correlate to a specific one of saidplurality of indicia markings upon said elongated mat; instructionsincluding: placing a batter's back foot upon one of said at least oneback foot indicia marking; and determining an indicia marking upon saidelongated mat for said batter's front foot to be placed upon during saidbatter's swinging motion.
 2. The training device of claim 1, furthercomprising a plurality of stakes adapted to be respectively placedthrough said plurality of eyelets and adapted to releasably engage withsaid supporting surface and releasably retain said elongated mat to saidsupporting surface.
 3. The training device of claim 1, furthercomprising a strap including a distal end portion and a proximal endportion, and is attached to said bottom surface; and wherein said mat isformed of a flexible material such that it is adapted to be rolled upfor storage and transportation purposes; and wherein said strap isadapted such that when said mat is rolled up said strap is wrappedaround said mat and said distal end portion and said proximal endportion can releasably engage one another to releasably hold said mat ina rolled up configuration.
 4. The training device of claim 3, whereinsaid distal end portion of said strap includes one of a hook materialand loop material; and wherein said proximal end portion of said strapincludes the other of a hook material and loop material, such that saiddistal end portion and said proximal end portion can releasably engageone another to releasably hold said mat in a rolled up configuration. 5.The training device of claim 3, wherein said distal end portion of saidstrap includes one of a snap head and a snap receiver; and wherein saidproximal end portion of said strap includes the other of a snap head anda snap receiver, such that said distal end portion and said proximal endportion can releasably engage one another to releasably hold said mat ina rolled up configuration.
 6. The training device of claim 3, whereinsaid distal end portion of said strap includes one of a button and abutton hole; and wherein said proximal end portion of said strapincludes the other of a button and a button hole, such that said distalend portion and said proximal end portion can releasably engage oneanother to releasably hold said mat in a rolled up configuration.
 7. Thetraining device of claim 3, wherein said distal end portion of saidstrap includes one of a clasp receiver and a clasp; and wherein saidproximal end portion of said strap includes the other of a claspreceiver and a clasp, such that said distal end portion and saidproximal end portion can releasably engage one another to releasablyhold said mat in a rolled up configuration.
 8. The training device ofclaim 1, further comprising an elongated tube for storing said elongatedmat and said user guide therein; and wherein said mat is formed of aflexible material such that it is adapted to be rolled up for storageand transportation purposes within said elongated tube.
 9. The trainingdevice of claim 1, wherein said elongated mat is formed from a rubbermaterial.
 10. The training device of claim 1, wherein said length ofsaid elongated mat is between 4 to 5 feet; and the space between saidtwo side edges form a width of 2 feet.
 11. The training device of claim1, wherein said back foot indicia marking is formed having the shape ofa foot.
 12. The training device of claim 1, wherein said plurality ofindicia markings are successively formed representing successive lettersof the English alphabet.
 13. The training device of claim 1, whereinsaid plurality of indicia markings are successively formed representingdiffering symbols.
 14. The training device of claim 1, wherein saidplurality of indicia markings are formed from a material that is adaptedto remain semi-permanently upon said top surface, such that saidplurality of indicia markings can be removed and added upon differentpositions upon said top surface.
 15. The training device of claim 8,wherein said elongated tube includes a carrying strap attached to anouter surface thereof.
 16. The training device of claim 1, wherein thereare two spaced back foot indicia markings; wherein a first of said twospaced back foot indicia markings is adapted to be used by a batterbatting righty, such that the batter's right foot is placed upon saidfirst of said two spaced back foot indicia markings; and wherein asecond of said two spaced back foot indicia markings is adapted to beused by a batter batting lefty, such that the batter's left foot isplaced upon said second of said two spaced back foot indicia markings.17. The training device of claim 16, wherein said two spaced back footindicia markings are each formed having the shape of a foot.
 18. Thetraining device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of indicia markingsincludes one indicia marking in the shape of home plate within saidproximal area in proximity to said at least one back foot indiciamarking.
 19. The training device of claim 16, wherein said plurality ofindicia markings includes one indicia marking in the shape of home platewithin said proximal area in proximity to and in between said two backfoot indicia markings.